“Fragile Times” is the new release from Bad Elephant Music by The Rube Goldberg Machine and I am sure many people will find it enjoyable. It was just not proggy enough for me and a tad polite. Prog needs to do two very basic things: grab my attention and KEEP my attention.

The opening track “Background Noise” is aptly named because after initially sparking a little interest, the track fades into the background. This tends to be the case with the rest of the album. The Rube Goldberg Machine try to walk the line between prog and being radio friendly. They wind up really not being enough of either.

They are not challenging enough to be prog and not hooky enough to be pop. When I say pop, think Steven Wilson and songs like “Hand. Cannot. Erase.” GRAB the listener. It just never happens for me. As I said, I think there is an audience for this band. The label is “crossover prog” which I like to call “almost prog.” Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand-grenades, this isn’t.

Rating: 4/10

Tracklist:
1. Background Noise
2. Little Funerals
3. Fragile Times
4. In Symmetry
5. Man Of Glass
6. The Captain’s Blackjack
7. Times Square
8. Afraid Of My Own Shadow

Label: Bad Elephant Music
Website: www.trgmachine.co.uk